Poverty's poison

Chicago lead poisoning rates vary by location, time

Look at Chicago as a whole and it appears that lead poisoning is an epidemic from the history books. About 4 percent of children age 5 or younger who were tested in 2013 had alarming levels of the toxic metal in their bodies, compared with 68 percent of those tested in 1995. But while the problem has been largely eliminated in many parts of the city, the rate of lead poisoning is up to six times higher than the city average in some pockets of poor, predominantly African-American neighborhoods.

More lead poisoning coverage

Drag the slider left and right or press play to see how the percentage of children testing high for lead poisoning changed over time

2013

The map to the right shows the percentage of children tested who had at least 6 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, by Chicago census tract. Enter an address below to see the rate in that census tract.

Percentage of tests with high blood lead levels

0-5%5-10%10-20%20-40%40-60%60% and up

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Chicago

Percentage testing high by year

Citywide

Census tract 2510 has the highest rate of lead poisoning in the city. In 2013, nearly 24 percent of children tested had dangerous levels of lead in their blood, up from a low of 9 percent in 2009.

Austin

Tract 2510

88 children tested in 2013

21 tested high in 2013

Percentage testing high by year

Citywide

Search by street address

Chicago

Percentage testing high by year

Citywide

Note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says action should be taken if a child has at least 5 micrograms per deciliter of lead in his or her blood. The map above is based on a level of 6 micrograms because at least one Chicago lab has been counting all tests below 5 but above zero as a 5, potentially inflating the total number of worrisome results.